Saturday, May 31, 2008

Below are my final notes for Lesson 174 which cover Hadeeth 663 and 664. Although I'm some way behind in terms of typing up and posting my notes (the Shaykh delivered Lesson 194 of the Book of Zakah on Friday) I'm working through them in order. Please pray Allah puts barakah in my time and allows me to keep making progress insha'Allah.

663. Narrated ‘Abdullâh bin ‘Umar رضى الله عنهما : Sa’d bin ‘Ubâda became sick and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم along with ‘Abdur Rahmân bin ‘Auf, Sa’d bin Abi Waqqâs and ‘Abdullâh bin Mas’ud رضى الله عنهم visited him to enquire about his health. When he came to him, he found him surrounded by his household and he asked, Has he died? They said, No, O Allâh’s Messenger. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم wept and when the people saw the weeping of Allâh’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم , they all wept. He said, Will you listen? Allâh does not punish for shedding tears, nor for the grief of the heart but he punishes because of this or bestows His Mercy. He pointed to his tongue and added, The deceased is punished for the wailing of his relatives over him (2:391O.B.).

Hadeeth 663 – This hadeeth refers to Saad bin Ubadah (رضى الله عنها) who was one of the famous Ansaari companions and was the leader of the Khazraj tribe. He fell very ill and from this hadeeth we learn about the Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وسلم)concern for the ummah. He would weep at the condition of the ummah.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the sahabah would share everything. They would share things even if they were in need themselves. Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq reminded us that we should take time to visit the sick, go to funerals etc. We don't want to give time as what little time we have we want to spend for our own leisure time.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) went with a group of companions. Saad bin Ubadah’s (رضى الله عنها) family members were hovering over him and serving him when the Prophet arrived. The Prophet's first question on arrival was 'Has he passed away?' When the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was told that he was still alive, he came close and saw the condition of Saad bin Ubadah (رضى الله عنها), and then wept. The sahabah then wept when seeing the condition of the sahabi. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said Allah does not punish due to tears or grief of the heart, but the tongue. The tongue can be responsible for so much good and bad. At the time of grief and sorrow, one must be careful not to blaspheme.

باب: مَا يُنْهَى عَنِ النّوْحِ وَالبُكَاءِ وَالزّجْرِ عَن ذلِك

CHAPTER 25.- Chapter of what is forbidden of wailing and weeping, and Chapter ofAdmonishing Over This.

664. Narrated Umm ‘Atiyya رضى الله عنها : At the time of giving the (Bai’â) pledge to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم one of the conditions was that we would not wail, but it was not fulfilled except by five women and they were Umm Sulaim, Umm Al’Alâ’, the daughter of Abu Sabra, the wife of Mu’âdh, and two other women; or the daughter of Abu Sabra and the wife of Mu’adh and another woman. (2:393O.B.)

Hadeeth 664 – When a person gives baiah, they are giving baiah to Allah not to a person. The person is just a means. A baiah to an Amir, Khalifah or a Shaykh is not a pledge to that individual, rather the baiah is ultimately to Allah. When the sahabah gave the baiah to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), it was to Allah through the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Thus, the baiah should not be misunderstood or portrayed in an incorrect manner.

Umm Atiyya (رضى الله عنها) narrates this hadeeth about a pledge that some women gave to the Prophet.

In Surah Al Mumtahinah,the words of baiah for women are mentioned which include the following word ‘Oh Prophet of Allah, when the believing women come to you to pledge their oath of allegiance to you, pledging what; that they will not ascribe any partner unto Allah, they will not steal, they will not commit adultery, they will not practice infanticide, they will not create slander, they will not disobey in any good then Oh Messenger of Allah, accept their pledge of allegiance and seek Allah’s forgiveness on their behalf'. These are just some of the things that the women would give baiah upon. The baiah wasn’t restricted to this, as we learn from other hadeeth e.g. some sahabah gave a pledge that they would never ask anyone for anything.

In the hadeeth it is mentioned that a group of women pledged to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)that they would not wail (the haraam wailing as discussed in previous lessons). Umm Atiya (رضى الله عنها) says that from that group not all were able to keep the promise – only the five mentioned in the hadeeth were able to do so; Umm Sulaim, Umm Al’Alâ (She is the sahabiyat who narrates the story of Uthman bin Mazun (رضى الله عنها) (see my previous notes)’, the daughter of Abu Sabra who was the wife of Mu’âdh, and two other women; or the narrator says Umm Sulaim (رضى الله عنها), Umm Al’Alâ (رضى الله عنها) the daughter of Abu Sabra and the wife of Mu’adh and another woman. One of the narrators lower down has made an error and could not remember exactly what his teacher had told him.